


In the Wrong Place (trying to make it right)

by tiniestawoo



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Gen, Leaving Beacon Hills, Pre-Canon, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestawoo/pseuds/tiniestawoo
Summary: She’d asked once why he’d left and Talia had just given her a small smile and said that not everyone was suited for a life like theirs. At the time, Laura had thought she’d meant the loud, warm, loving family, and it had made no sense.Now, eighteen, freshly orphaned and suddenly the guardian of a speechless, angry 16-year-old boy, Laura knewexactlywhat part of ‘a life like theirs’ her father hadn’t been suited for. It was the stress, anxiety, thefearthat came with being a werewolf. It was the aspect of their lives that Talia had done her very best to protect them from. It was the part that, up until the so-called peace-summit, and the death of Derek’s girlfriend, Laura and the other children had been largely sheltered from.--Or, the one where, after the fire, Laura takes Derek to the last family member they have left: their father.
Relationships: Derek Hale & Laura Hale
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37
Collections: Laura Hale Appreciation Week 2020





	In the Wrong Place (trying to make it right)

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man, again I get to play in the technically canon compliant sandbox. When you're done reading, I'd _love_ to hear if anyone jumped to mind as a face for the Hale father. I didn't have one in mind, but I'd love to hear if you do!

Derek hadn’t said anything since the fire. 

It was beginning to worry Laura, but really, she’d had enough to worry about that as long as he was eating and drinking water at semi-regular intervals, Derek wasn’t near the top of the list. The spot at the top of the list currently belonged to Uncle Peter, who was apparently alive but catatonic and burned so badly that werewolf healing was probably the only reason that he hadn’t died with the rest of their family.

_Almost_ the rest of their family.

Laura stared at the number in her phone with narrowed eyes, blinking back tears she didn’t have time to shed right now. Her mother was dead, along with three of her siblings, Uncle Peter’s wife Caroline and son Felix, Aunt Felicia and her husband Tony. Her family, once large and loud and boisterous was reduced to...her and Derek, who hadn’t spoken, and Peter, who was catatonic.

Except for _him_.

Everything Talia had ever said in front of any of her siblings was that Geoffrey Woodrew was a good man. None of them had really been old enough – Cora had still been a baby – when Geoff had left them, but Laura remembered him. She remembered kind eyes and gentle hands, a gardner in his spare time and a woodworker during the day. 

She’d asked once why he’d left and Talia had just given her a small smile and said that not everyone was suited for a life like theirs. At the time, Laura had thought she’d meant the loud, warm, loving family, and it had made no sense.

Now, eighteen, freshly orphaned and suddenly the guardian of a speechless, angry 16-year-old boy, Laura knew _exactly_ what part of ‘a life like theirs’ her father hadn’t been suited for. It was the stress, anxiety, the _fear_ that came with being a werewolf. It was the aspect of their lives that Talia had done her very best to protect them from. It was the part that, up until the so-called peace-summit, and the death of Derek’s girlfriend, Laura and the other children had been largely sheltered from.

“He’s not a bad person, Laura,” she looked up to see Alan Deaton, her mother’s – hers now? – emissary, standing across the waiting room from her. “He’d want to know. Cora, Daniel and Grace were his children too.” 

“He left us,” Laura said, letting the anger push away the sadness. The alpha spark in her surged and she had to close her eyes for a moment. It was a new power, big and scary and unfamiliar. “He left mom alone with five of us.”

“He asked Talia to go with him,” Alan said, dropping into the chair next to Laura’s. Laura tracked his gaze across the waiting room to where Derek was sitting, curled in on himself and staring at a book. If it wasn’t for the occasional turn of the page, Laura wouldn’t even be convinced he _was_ reading. “He asked her to take all of you and leave Beacon Hills behind. Your mother refused.”

“She didn’t run, not like he did.” 

Alan sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You are not your mother, Laura. It’s okay for your choices to differ from hers.”

“What about Uncle Peter?” Laura asked, knowing that the answer from Alan would remain the same. Geoff had the right idea all those years ago - they were no longer safe in Beacon Hills. 

“His road to recovery will be long. Perhaps once he’s healed enough to transfer, he could be moved closer to Geoffrey’s.” Alan reached over to squeeze Laura’s shoulder and give her a small smile. “You’re the alpha now, Laura. These decisions are yours to make, but remember that they affect more than just you. You might be strong enough to stay and fight, but…” Alan’s gaze drifted back to Derek.

Laura knew he was right, and stood up. “Keep an eye on him for a moment, would you?” She stepped out of the room, ensuring she was far enough that Derek wouldn’t be able to hear her when she finally called the number.

“Hello?” 

Tears, repressed for days, sparked in her eyes at the sound of his voice. A voice that she’d known so many years ago. A voice that had taught her about plants and kinds of wood and read her bedtime stories as a child. “Dad?” She breathed, surprising both herself and the man on the other end of the line. “Dad, something terrible has happened.”

\--

“I barely remember him,” were the first words out of Derek’s mouth a few days later, the second day of their road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Laura tried not to let her surprise, and delight, show on her face, focusing on the empty desert roads around them. “You were six when he left, so that’s not that surprising.”

“M– she said he still loved us, but that he needed a different kind of life.” 

Laura refused to tear up from Derek’s refusal to say ‘mom’, even if it shattered her already broken heart further. “He left because he was scared, Der. And, now we know he had every reason to be.” She swallowed hard and sighed.

“What if he hates me?” 

“He’s our dad, Derek. He invited us to come stay with him for a while. He doesn’t hate us. He’s probably hurting too.”

“Why?”

“He loved us, Der. He loved Cora, Daniel and Grace –” 

“Don’t.” Derek whispered quickly. “I can’t...I’m so sorry Laura.” 

Laura glanced briefly at Derek. “Why are you sorry?” 

It was too late, though. Derek’s eyes were fixed on the window, bright and glassy, and his lips were closed again.

Laura wished he’d have kept talking. The silence just left her alone with her thoughts, and she felt alone enough these days. 

\--

They passed a hospital on their way from the highway to their father’s neighborhood, and Laura’s heart gave a pang of regret for leaving Uncle Peter behind. Alan had been right though: there was no telling how long it would be before he could be moved, and staying would only put her and Derek at risk if whoever had burned their home tried to finish off the pack. 

She had to believe that Peter would be okay. 

She turned off the main drag onto a side road, and then followed a gentle sweeping curve around towards a cul de sac. Everything was flat here. Flat and open and empty. There were occasional trees, some dusty-brown looking scrub and a bunch of low, flat houses. Designed, Laura mused, probably so that there was no ‘upper floor’ for heat to get trapped in.

Pulling up along the swale, Laura glanced at her own hastily scribbled address and printed MapQuest directions and then looked up at the house. Derek turned to her from the passenger seat with wide hazel eyes. He’d smelled like fear and guilt and anxiety for days now, so it wasn’t really a shock when the anxiety spiked. 

“What if he has a whole ‘nother family,” Derek asked. “What if he left us and he just...started a new life here and they’re all humans and we have to spend the whole time controlling the shift and –”

Laura leaned across the car to wrap Derek in a hug, feeling as a shudder ran through his body. How long had it been since she’d hugged her brother – since she’d hugged anyone? Derek clung to her, his face buried in her shoulder, his breathing unsteady. “Der, we have to give him a chance, okay?” Her voice cracked but she again refused to loosen her grip on her emotions. “He’s what we have left.”

Derek nodded against her shoulder and she released him gently, climbing out of the car and studying the pale, single-story house. There was a small tree in the front yard, and a mailbox with the correct house numbers at the edge of the driveway. An older-model SUV sat in the driveway, covered in a light layer of dust. 

It was dry here, compared to Beacon Hills. Dry and kind of brown and Laura wondered if maybe that was why Geoffrey had chosen it. It was about as different as it got from the green forests and hills of northern California. 

The sound of creaky door hinges drew Laura’s attention to the front door of the house and her vision grew blurry at the sight of the man who walked out. He was tall and lightly tanned, with the same bright gold-hazel eyes that her brother had and a swath of brown hair - streaked through with grey - tied back from his face in a neat ponytail at the base of his neck. She hadn’t seen him in ten years, but she’d know her father anywhere.

He smelled like grief, Laura noted. Grief and loneliness. He stepped cautiously towards them. “Laura?” he asked, his tone incredulous, almost reverent. “Derek?”

Laura resisted the urge to run to him. He’d been her father for 8 years damn it. She remembered him. But that also meant she remembered the pain of him leaving. It was nothing compared to watching the smouldering embers of her family home, knowing the amount of death and destruction inside of it, but it had hurt then.

It was an old, scarred wound she was risking reopening. She glanced to the side at Derek, who had crossed his arms over his chest but kept his gaze firmly fixed on their father. “Yeah, It’s us.” Laura said finally, motioning for Derek to come with her as she walked towards Geoffrey standing on the walkway from the house to the driveway.

“The drive was okay then?” he asked, somewhat awkwardly. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his face tight. “You could have flown.”

Laura caught Derek shake out of the corner of her eye, and turned to him. His arms were wrapped protectively around his chest and he was pointedly looking away from both of them. “The drive was fine,” she said softly. 

Geoffrey’s arms lifted out of his pockets and seemed to twitch forward before he clasped them both in front of his body. “I have a chili in the crock pot if you’re hungry. I figured I’d make it since I didn’t know what time you’d be getting in.”

Laura’s stomach grumbled at the thought of food. When was the last time she’d eaten something that wasn’t fast food or from the Beacon Hills diner. Before the fire, probably. She glanced at Derek, reaching out to grip the back of his neck. “I could eat,” she said, forcing a smile. “What about you, Der?”

Derek turned towards her, but didn’t pull away from her grip. His eyes were bright and glassy and so, so similar to the man in front of them. She wondered if Derek saw the resemblance. Saw the way their noses sloped so similarly. (So similarly to how Daniel’s had as well.) “I guess I could eat.”

Laura beamed, half with pride, and half with the acceptance Derek showed by agreeing. She wondered if her father knew what he’d done, offering his werewolf children a place in his home, having food ready for them when they arrived. She suspected that a decade living with their pack had taught him enough for him to know exactly what he was doing.

For the first time since the fire, guiding Derek into their father’s house by the back of his neck, Laura felt like maybe she and Derek were going to be okay.

\--

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Laura asked Derek later that night, her brother curled up on the bed in one of the spare rooms. They smelled a little dusty, but there wasn’t a lingering scent of someone else. Laura suspected they’d be able to settle into them just fine.

“Laura, you guys are just going on a walk. I’ll be okay by myself for a half hour. Promise.” Derek gave Laura a half smile.

Laura returned it and leaned in to kiss Derek’s forehead, rubbing their cheeks together. Their hug in the car had reminded her of all the things she should be doing as an alpha, things to help Derek’s wolf settle. She’d been so focused on _getting things done_ she’d done exactly what Deaton had warned - she’d forgotten that there was more than just her to deal with. “I love you, Der.”

“I love you too, Laur,” Derek whispered. Laura watched his eyes go bright again, wide and glassy, and she felt like she could see him tamping down the emotions. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Laura said firmly. She headed out of the room.

Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she realized Derek had probably forgotten she was an alpha now, and had all the enhanced senses that came with it, because she heard him whisper, “I wish that was true.”

Her father glanced at her from the couch. She must have had a concerned look because he asked, “Is everything okay?” gently. 

Laura shook the comment from her mind and nodded. “Yeah, just...wolf stuff.” She shrugged one shoulder.

Geoffrey nodded, his face looking fond and sad at the same time. “Should we, uh…” He motioned to the door. Laura nodded, heading towards it and waiting for him to lock up behind them.

For Derek’s sake they waited until they were several houses away and safely out of earshot before Geoffrey asked, “So...what happened?”

Laura steeled herself, dragging in a long breath. “I don’t really know. I was at school finishing up group work on a project, and Derek had practice. As we drove back to the house we started smelling smoke.” She stared dutifully ahead. “The police stopped us from getting close enough to do anything.” 

“And they’re all…” Geoffrey’s voice sounded shaky, and Laura couldn’t blame him. She’d kept it together the last few days, but that night she’d screamed – would have roared were it not for the human first responders – as she felt her mother’s alpha spark come to her. She’d known immediately what it meant.

“Everyone except Uncle Peter. He somehow got out, but nobody really understands how.” 

“So….Talia, and the other kids?” 

Laura nodded. They walked a few more houses down in silence. Finally she said, “We didn’t know where else to go. There wasn’t anywhere else to go. I know, or at least, I think I know why you left. And I totally get if you don’t want your two werewolf kids wrecking your sense of normal here–”

“Laura….” Her father stepped in front of her and stopped. Slowly he placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes were red-rimmed, face lined by silent tears. “There is no place I would rather you be. I didn’t leave because I didn’t love you. I left because _I didn’t want to be a liability_. I left to keep you _all_ safe. And clearly, I failed.” 

Laura felt tears spring into her own eyes as she gave into the impulse she’d been resisting and folded herself into her father’s arms. He held her tightly, his cheek pressed against her hair. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.” She admitted. “I don’t know how to do this alone.”

“You’re not alone,” Geoffrey said, stroking her hair gently. “I know I left and I hope one day you’ll understand why I did. But for now, just trust me, okay? I’m still your dad. I’m still here for you and I’m not going to let you or Derek go through this alone.”

Laura let out a shaky breath, her face pressed against her father’s shoulder. She felt a bit ridiculous, an eighteen year old alpha werewolf curled into her father’s arms crying. She felt like she should be stronger, more put together, more reserved.

But damn it, they were her family too.

So, for just a moment, blocks away from the house, tucked away where her brother couldn’t see, Laura allowed herself to break.


End file.
